Orioles have not given up on fixing closer Craig Kimbrel

NEW YORK — Orioles manager Brandon Hyde’s eyes went wide when Seranthony Domínguez was sent to the Orioles on July 26 in a trade with the Phillies, so much so that he wanted to test him right away.

Hyde put his new reliever into the game just hours after he arrived in Baltimore and loved what he saw: a 99 mph fastball with an effective slider and changeup. Domínguez pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out one.

Publicly, the Orioles said Craig Kimbrel was still their guy in save situations. “He’s our closer long-term,” general manager Mike Elias said on July 31.

But after Domínguez’s first outing, their actions began to show a different reality. Since the deadline, Kimbrel hasn’t been used in a save situation, the team opting instead to use Yennier Cano or Domínguez. On Sunday, Domínguez got the four-out save in the Orioles 4-2 win over the Red Sox. On Monday, he gave up a walk-off home run to Francisco Alvarez in a 4-3 loss.

Still, it appears he’s becoming their guy — even if Kimbrel is available.

“We were going to live and die with Domínguez,” Hyde said on Aug. 18.

Domínguez, 29, has some closing experience but has never served in that role on a consistent basis. His most opportunities came during his rookie season, when had 16 saves, a number that is still his career-high six years later. He has three saves already with the Orioles in the three weeks he’s been with the team.

“The ninth inning is where everyone wants to be,” he said after he got the save in Sunday’s game. “It’s a big inning, especially for the team, because if you do your job the game is over, you know? Every time I get an opportunity I just think about getting people out.”

They haven’t given up on Kimbrel, whom they signed to a one-year, $13 million deal with a club option for 2025, but it’s become clear that they do not trust him. After a strong first half, where he pitched a 2.80 ERA and was in conversation for an All-Star bid, Kimbrel has allowed eight earned runs in his 8⅔ innings since the break. This includes back-to-back blown opportunities — on July 25, he gave up a three-run lead and a day later allowed up a two-run homer to break a tie.

Since then, the messaging has only gotten murkier. When they give Kimbrel more rest, they say he’s rusty. When he pitches often, they say he’s tired and that’s why he can’t perform.

He hasn’t been used in a save situation since those two nights in July, and has only pitched six times in the last 21 days, averaging an appearance about once every four games. On Sunday, after five days off, he gave up three runs on two homers.

So are the Orioles ready to move on from him? Not quite.

“I’m going to continue to try,” Hyde said. “It’s not going to do him any good not to pitch. The situations come up, maybe down a couple runs. But ultimately it’s up to him. This hasn’t been a real good second half for him.”

They don’t exactly have anywhere else to turn if they do decide to go a different direction. Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb are on the injured list, and they do not have a stacked pipeline of relievers to select from. And while Domínguez has for the most part performed, Gregory Soto, who arrived in a different trade from the Phillies, hasn’t been as trusted. He allowed eight runs in his first 1⅓ innings with the Orioles, but has had four scoreless outings in low-leverage situations since.

So, for now the Orioles feel as though their only option is to get Kimbrel back on track. On Monday, he trekked out to the bullpen at Citi Field hours before the Orioles opened a three-game series against the Mets, a herd of pitching coaches trailing after him. It was a rarity for a healthy reliever to throw a bullpen session during the thick of the season, and it will likely make him unavailable for at least a day.

But at this point, a few days are not nearly as costly as a failed second half would be.

“With where we are with our bullpen, we are going to need guys to step up — we need him to,” Hyde said.